The UNC CFAR is a consortium between three complementary institutions: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Research Triangle Institute, and Family Health International. This consortium represents one of the largest and most active groups of HIV/AIDS researchers in the country. The CFAR will support the breadth of HIV/AIDS-related research that characterizes the CFAR membership, spanning prevention, detection, and treatment. This support will be accomplished through the creation of six cores that will support critical approaches to controlling the HIV/AIDS epidemic: clinical research, behavioral research, research into mechanisms at the molecular level, and education outreach. The proposed cores are Administrative, Developmental, Clinical/Behavioral, Virology/Cancer, Pharmacology, and Biostatistics. Part of the Administrative Core will include an active outreach program through which the CFAR will play a visible role as a regional leader, a statewide role in education, and a facilitative role for new collaborative and translational research. The UNC CFAR will provide new and exciting opportunities for clinical research, and vaccine, drug and microbicide development. The UNC CFAR will aid in the understanding of the nature of drug resistance and the causes and treatment of AIDS-associated malignancies, and enhance the utilization of new collaborative efforts to understand the interplay between HIV, stress, drug abuse, and immune function and to elucidate the causes and potential treatment for HIV dementia.